Initiations
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: For karatekid1018. The Warblers always initiate new members to the group with a little humiliating joke. Not everyone thinks they're funny. Klaine. ONESHOT


**I was asked by the lovely karatekid1018 to write this fic, and I obliged :)**

_**I was wondering if you could write a oneshot for me. I know you have before and I'm so grateful and if you want I'll do the same for you! :) But, I've been wanting to read a fanfic like this one and I thought you'd be the best to write it. I was wondering if you could write a fanfiction where the Warblers decide to pull a seemingly innocent prank on Kurt, but it goes WAY too far, and Kurt ends up either so upset he won't leave his dorm room in Dalton or, if you want to take it farther, threatening to end his life, though I prefer the first one, you can do whatever you want. Blaine finds out too late, like, seconds before the prank happens, and Kurt is EXTREMELY humiliated publicly. Blaine is pissed at the Warblers and goes off on them. I was thinking the prank could be posting a private video of Kurt singing something stupid or embarrassing, the Warblers embarrassing Kurt at lunch not realizing that it brought back homophobic memories (I was thinking they would pants him and back at McKinley the jocks did the same) and Kurt runs off in tears and the Warblers feel like jerks and make up for it after Blaine goes off on them (please not a lot of language so I can read it) and of course, they make up for it in song and acknowledge they still have to earn Kurt's trust.**_

**I thank you very much KK for being amazingly awesome and lovely and for the compliment :) *millionhugsforever***

**This completely got away from me. I didn't mean for it to go as long as it does and the Trent and Nick storylines weren't planned and I kind of twisted the idea a bit. But somehow they turned up and I worked with them to create this :) I hope this is okay, I quite enjoyed writing it but I feel a bit guilty because I think I changed a lot of what you asked for. **

**Bitchy Kurt is so much fun. And now I feel sorry for Trent and I want to hug him so much :( Wes is a bit dense and mean in this fic but he's really quite good deep down ;)**

**T for a couple of swearwords at the most and some themes of severe and not-so-severe bullying.**

**Klaine. Niff. Trent/Cameron friendship. Awesome Thad. And more!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Blaine was rather happy.<p>

Not because the Warblers were going to be performing at Sectionals.

Not that he was going to be getting a solo for said performance.

Not even that Nick and Jeff had finally gotten their act together after _months_ of sexual tension and _everyone _had known they wanted to get it on but they hadn't because they both believed the other didn't like them. And it had been _torturous_ watching them skirt around each other.

No, Blaine was rather happy because he was friends with possibly the nicest person on the face of the planet. Said person was also beautiful, sexy, and had a stunning voice. Said person was also _gay_, which was always a plus when it came to beautiful, sexy guys. Blaine had been down_ that_ road before. And said person was also horrendously bullied at his old school for being said sexuality.

But Blaine was also rather happy because this particular person had transferred less than a week ago and was now safe and happy at Dalton. A beautiful, sexy gay guy with a stunning voice who he was friends with was now a student at his school.

Blaine had every reason to be happy.

* * *

><p>"How's Kurt settling in?" Cameron asked as he and Blaine made their way towards the dining hall.<p>

Blaine smiled, "Pretty well, I think. He's still getting used to how things work around here, but I think he'll be okay."

Cameron nodded, balancing the coffee cup he was holding in one hand as he shifted his bag further onto his shoulder to prevent it from slipping off. Blaine took it before the rather clumsy Warbler dropped it, frowning as he felt how cold it was.

"How long have you been carrying this around?" he asked, handing it back once the other boy was steady and not about to trip over his own feet. Cameron took it with a smirk, letting Blaine push open the doors to the dining hall so they could walk in.

The place was full of hungry boys all in the process of eating their lunch, laughing and talking and joking around as teenage boys tended to do. Blaine and Cameron had to dodge a few flying objects of dubious natures as they made their way towards the Warbler table. This particular table had been claimed by David at the beginning of the year when he stood on top of it and shouted to everyone on the first day that this table was now 'owned' by the Warblers and anyone who 'stole' it would have to face the wrath of the Warbler Council.

No one had ever tried to steal it.

Blaine caught sight of Kurt at the table and smiled to himself. Kurt was chatting with Jeff amiably about something or another and he seemed to be enjoying himself. He wasn't shying away or withdrawing, but striking out and not changing one bit from the 'McKinley Kurt' that Blaine had brief knowledge of. Still outgoing, flamboyant, different. He wasn't letting Dalton change him at all. Blaine was glad for that – Kurt was an amazing person that didn't deserve any of what had been done to him at McKinley. He was glad that he wasn't letting the names and the taunts get to him too much. And he was glad that Kurt was staying strong despite the _awful_ things Karofsky had done to him.

He was drawn back to his own situation as he had to duck to avoid being hit in the face with something that looked suspiciously like a half-filled water balloon. Sidestepping a freshman that had just fallen off his chair, Blaine turned back

"So," Blaine said, gesturing to the cup in his friend's hand "What's with the cold coffee?"

Cameron grinned, "We decided it was time."

"We? Time for what?" Blaine wasn't sure he liked where this was going. He gave Cameron an odd look until the boy explained.

"Warbler Initiation."

Blaine's heart stopped. He'd totally forgotten to warn Kurt about the infamous Warbler Initiations. Every time someone new joined the group, the rest of the singers would wait until they felt the new boy were settled in before playing some sort of joke on them. Often it involved stealing the poor kid's towel and clothes when they were showering in the locker rooms and leaving them with no choice but to head back to their dorm without them. Blaine had suffered through that particularly embarrassing one. David had had his uniform mysteriously vanish and he was forced to come down to school in his usual clothes – something the teachers had had a field day with, considering the incredibly strict uniform rules. He'd been given detention for a week and subsequently accepted into the psychotic singing group. Every single member of the Warblers had had to go through one of the Initiations, as humiliating and embarrassing as it may be – it was a rite of passage into the group. It didn't stop you from joining, but the reaction you gave would determine how seriously the rest of the guys took you from then on. The Warblers still teased Trent about his response to being kidnapped from his room – he'd sobbed and freaked out – and Thad was a hero in the singers' eyes for how he handled his towel-theft – running down the halls naked singing _I Know You Want Me_.

But Blaine had forgotten to warn Kurt or the Warblers. He had no idea how Kurt would react to public humiliation considering his previous experiences. And he hadn't told the Warblers very much on Kurt's request, so they had no idea how bad the bullying had been at McKinley.

It was going to be a hell of a train wreck if he couldn't stop it.

"Cameron, you can't," Blaine said as they neared the Warbler's table – and Kurt "I'm serious, don't."

Cameron chuckled, "Come on, you said he was settling in fine. It's tradition anyway."

"Cam, you don't understand…"

But just as he reached out to grab the back of the boy's blazer, the boy faked a stumble. Blaine could only stare in horror as the coffee cup went flying and the contents drenched Kurt entirely. He gasped in shock, staring blankly as the rest of the table started to burst out into laughter. Cameron stabilised himself and smirked at the new boy.

"Welcome to…" he started, putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder. But he pulled his hand back like he'd been zapped when Kurt _flinched _and stood up, rubbing cold coffee from his eyes. Blaine saw the tears collecting as he picked up his bag and walked off quickly. The Warblers were left either still laughing or starting to shut up as they realised something was up. Most of the other boys in the hall hadn't seen anything and those that had didn't really care – they all knew about Warbler Initiations – and so the Warblers were mercifully free from spectators as Blaine stormed up to them.

"Who the hell's bright idea was that?" he spat, angry.

"Relax," Wes laughed, having not noticed Kurt flinch or the tears in his eyes before he'd left.

Blaine was in no mood to be dealing with the group's sense of humour at the moment. He managed to calm down to a point where he wasn't going to rip anyone's head off before he spoke again.

"I can't believe you just did that," he said in a low tone "That was entirely insensitive and cruel."

"It was just a joke, Blaine," Jeff shrugged "He'll get over it."

"He's just freaking out because he's crushing on the guy," Thad smirked, making some of the other boys laugh.

Blaine had had _enough_ of their antics. He slammed his hands down on the table, quietening everyone there and some of the boys on nearby tables. The Warblers stared at him, some confused and some slightly scared by the way he was glaring at them with what could only be described as a _murderous _expression.

"Now listen," he said, holding up his hand when Nick started to speak "I said listen. _Shut up_ and _listen_. You all know that Kurt went through bullying at his old school. You know that much. What on _earth_ made you think it was a good idea to _humiliate _him in public?"

"Half of us went through bullying too, Blaine, and we survived the Initiations," David started, but Blaine cut him off.

"Need I mention _Nick_?" he said, gesturing to the beet-red boy hiding behind his hands. They all knew Nick had had a bad reaction to his own Initiation, taking a week to actually start talking to the Warblers again out of fear they would do it again. They'd locked him out of his dorm and having been incredibly shy at the time, it had taken him three hours to work up the courage to go find someone to let him in – by that time it was almost midnight. And they also all knew that Nick had been verbally bullied at his previous school for his sexuality, which had led to his painful shyness. Of course, they'd only found that out later and had since apologised.

"Blaine…" Wes tried.

"_Shut. Up. Wesley_," Blaine snapped, leaving the rest of the table in shock. No one spoke to anyone on the Council like that. They were respected seniors – talking back to them was an unofficial offence. But speaking like that was something no one did to any other Warbler or friend, let alone the Council.

Blaine continued, fuelled by his anger and absolute shock at what they'd done, "I wouldn't be surprised if you've just lost yourself the only countertenor you've had in years. And frankly, I wouldn't blame him if he decides to quit the Warblers. I promised him that this sort of thing didn't _happen _here. He had to suffer through that for _years_ and I swore that he would be safe and cared for here. You just blew all that out of the water and I'll be surprised if you haven't shattered every ounce of trust I had with him. Now, I'm going to go find him and make sure he's okay. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

And with that, he straightened and walked away from them, making his way out of the hall and leaving a table of stunned Warblers in his wake. He didn't care how shocked or hurt they were – what they'd just done to Kurt was _unforgiveable_. He'd never been a supporter of the Initiations and so the Warblers had tended to plan and execute them on their own without his help. He made no secret of how much he disliked them. And it wasn't just because he'd had to go through it. It was because it brought back memories of his own that tormented him. His own experiences with guys who thought it was funny and for whom humiliating people was 'just a joke'.

Common sense kicked in as he searched for Kurt without really thinking about what he was doing. He found himself walking towards the closest bathroom, opening the door quietly and looking inside. He saw the boy he was looking for at one of the sinks, washing coffee out of his hair.

"Kurt…"

Kurt jumped upright at the speed of light and looked towards the door with fear in his eyes. But then he saw who it was and that fear was replaced by something that hurt Blaine far more – disappointment.

"What do you want?" Kurt asked as he went back to attempting to get rid of the smell of coffee "I'm a little busy, if you couldn't tell."

His voice was dripping with venom and Blaine knew it was directed all at him. He was angry at the Warblers, but not as angry as he was with Blaine. And he had good reason to be. Blaine took a step forward hesitantly.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry. I didn't warn you about the Warbler Initiations and I didn't tell the guys to back off."

"So they do that to everyone, do they?" Kurt refused to look at him.

"To everyone who joins the Warblers. I had no idea what they were going to do, Kurt, believe me. They know how much I hate them so they don't tell me what they're planning anymore. I only found out literally as we were walking into the hall today. I tried to stop Cameron, but…"

He trailed off, leaning on the wall next to Kurt. The boy still wouldn't meet his eye, instead staring in the mirror and trying to fix his hair. Blaine took in the damage – the stains on his white shirt and blazer, the smell of coffee in his now-soggy hair, the tear-tracks down his face…

_Oh God…_

"Kurt," he reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but Kurt twisted away from him, eyes downcast. Blaine bit his lip, knowing this was all his fault. If he'd just remembered to warn Kurt and tell the Warblers to back off, none of this would have happened. He felt awful.

"They didn't know," he said quietly "They had no idea how bad it was. I didn't tell them."

Kurt stared at the floor, "So now it's my fault, because I wouldn't let you tell them how bad the bullying was? You're defending them?"

"God, no," Blaine said desperately "I'm just saying that they feel bad about what they did. They didn't mean to hurt you…"

"Just like all the slushies in my face weren't meant to hurt me." Now Kurt was glaring at him and Blaine knew that all the anger and hurt and pain in his eyes was _his fault_ and _he deserved it_"Just meant to humiliate me. Well, they've done a damn good job of it. I have to admit, coffee's a new one. Is that trick especially Dalton, or just private schools in general?"

"Kurt-"

He was on a roll now and nothing Blaine said was going to stop him, "I thought I was coming here t-to get away from that. And y-you told me that didn't happen here."

Blaine wanted to reach out and comfort him, tell him that it was okay and he was safe and they were just stupid boys with too much time on their hands, but Kurt wouldn't let him get a word in edgeways or come anywhere near him. Plus, what the boy was saying was true. He'd promised Kurt he'd be safe from attacks and humiliation. Blaine felt like a horrible person – he looked like a liar and now it was going to ruin his blossoming friendship with Kurt. Beautiful, sexy Kurt.

"I let myself think for _one second_ that I might actually be able to get away from all that. Dalton was a dream come true, but I _knew _it was too good to be true. I suppose I should just get used to this – I mean, it's not like things are going to change once we leave school. People are always going to hate me. I shouldn't-"

Finally Blaine just grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and shook him, startling him and making him flinch. He tried to ignore that and spoke before Kurt could say anything.

"You should _never_ have to 'get used' to that. You shouldn't have to live with that like it's normal and you can't change it. Sure, life's not fair, but you shouldn't just take that crap. And those boys are just idiots who have nothing better to do with their time and thought it would be funny. But it's not. It hurts and I am _so _sorry that you had to go through that all over again. If you decide to quit the Warblers, I completely understand and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you did, because what they did was cruel and insensitive. I know they didn't know how bad your bullying was, but they shouldn't have done it in the first place – to anyone. Kurt, I'm really sorry that I didn't warn you but I want you to know that I was no part of that. I can't believe…"

"Blaine."

He stopped suddenly as Kurt sighed, chewing on his lip briefly, "I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to let it get to me. I already ran away from McKinley – I'm not going to run away from the Warblers too. I'll stick with it. They… they won't do that again though, will they?"

Blaine gave him a tentative smile, "It's a one-off thing. Besides, they wouldn't dare. Not after I yelled at them like that."

The other boy smiled slightly, "You yelled at them?"

"Yeah. They shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay," Kurt shrugged Blaine's hands off his shoulders and checked his reflection in the mirror, talking mostly to himself "There's nothing I can do about the shirt, but…"

"No, it's not-"

"Blaine. It's okay."

It was the determination in his voice that made the soloist stop. He smiled as Kurt deemed himself worthy to go out in public again and picked up his bag. He checked his phone quickly for the time and sighed.

"Classes are going to start soon."

"We're not going to class," Blaine said.

"But…"

"No buts. We're going to go back up to the dorms, you're going to get changed, and then we're going to watch a movie or something."

"You're going to ditch class and Warbler practice?" Kurt raised an eyebrow, as if wondering what the catch was "Why?"

"Because you may look fine, but I know you're not and you need some time to relax."

Kurt eyed him for a moment suspiciously before sighing and nodding, "Okay. I-I suppose so."

"Good," Blaine said with a relieved smile, moving to the bathroom door and holding it open for Kurt.

* * *

><p>It was nearly nine thirty before Blaine realised Kurt should probably get back to his dorm.<p>

They'd spent the rest of the day in his room – after Kurt had gotten changed and Blaine had tried not to stare when he found he was now able to appreciate Kurt in skinny jeans and _wow, that's actually kind of hot_ – watching movies and chatting. Kurt had forgiven him and just that alone had been enough to make Blaine feel like everything was right in the world again. Except he knew it wasn't and he was going to have to deal with the Warblers tomorrow. And thinking of tomorrow meant thinking about his roommate, who would have to be getting his ass into his dorm sometime soon before lights out at exactly nine thirty, which lead to thoughts about having to wake Kurt up. Because Kurt had fallen asleep part way through the last movie, head on Blaine's shoulder and curled up against him. And of course, Blaine's arm hadn't immediately moved to drape over the boy's shoulder the moment he realised. Of course not. It was just… there.

Blaine waited a second, savouring the moment. He probably would never get to do this again. He committed all of it to memory – the way Kurt was pressed against his side, eyes closed in peaceful sleep, his hair still smelling slightly of coffee – so he could replay it over and over and wonder if he would ever get this close to Kurt again.

"Kurt," he whispered, shaking the other boy gently "Kurt, you have to wake up."

"Mmm," Kurt mumbled, yawning and opening his eyes. He blinked for a moment, remembering where he was when he turned around and realised he was all but snuggled up next to Blaine. He jumped away, fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

"It's almost lights out," Blaine said softly.

"I-I should go."

He stood up and moved quickly for the door. Blaine managed to catch him before he left, stopping him so he could speak.

"If you want, we could head down to breakfast early," he suggested, hoping his voice sounded casual and the fact he was freaking out was hidden "The guys won't be up until they absolutely have to be."

Kurt smiled at that, "Okay."

"Great. Seven thirty?"

The other agreed. Blaine offered to walk Kurt back to his dorm but he shook his head, saying he was fine and would be able to get there on his own. Blaine was a little disappointed he wouldn't get to spend those last few minutes with Kurt but accepted his reasons, saying good night and watching him head back to his room. Just as Kurt disappeared, his roommate came into view, hurrying along the corridor to get to his dorm before lights out. Blaine sighed and ducked back. He was changed and in bed by the time David made it into the room.

"You weren't in class," David said as he quickly changed out of his uniform into something more comfortable.

"How very observant of you."

"Blaine, don't be like that," David tried "You know we didn't mean to hurt him or anything. It was just a joke."

"It's not me you need to be saying that to."

The Council member attempted once more to talk Blaine around but to no avail. Finally he gave up and got into bed, flicking off the lights.

* * *

><p>The next day was incredibly tense and awkward for both Blaine and Kurt.<p>

During their classes, some of the Warblers sought out Kurt and tried to apologise – Nick, Jeff, Trent, Cameron, Dean. They told him how sorry they were and how they never really agreed with the Initiations, but they went along with them anyway. Kurt accepted their apologies but Blaine knew that it would take more than a few scattered 'sorry's to fix this. And it was the ringleaders – the Council – that would have come up with this plan and it would have to be them that apologised before it would mean anything. David seemed a little hesitant around Kurt, finally saying sorry part way through the day. Again Kurt accepted. Thad took a little longer and required a little shove from David before he apologised, but again Kurt simply nodded and went on his way. Wes, however, was a different story altogether.

"Why should I have to apologise?" he complained "It was a _joke_."

"A distasteful one," Nick argued.

"He just needs to get over it."

And so when Warbler practice rolled around that afternoon, Blaine was tense. Kurt had agreed to go but neither had any idea how the others would react or what Wes might say. He was good at heart but a little insensitive and… well, _dense_ at times. When the pair walked into the Warblers' Hall for the meeting, there was absolute silence. Most of the boys were trying to look anywhere but at Kurt or Blaine, while others gave them sympathetic, apologetic looks. Finally Blaine dropped down onto one of the couches, Kurt following so that he was beside Blaine and the soloist was next to Nick. The brunette simply stared at the floor.

"For those of us who haven't said it yet," David said, pointedly shooting a glance to his best friend beside him at the Council desk "We're sorry, Kurt. It was meant to be a joke and we had no intention of hurting you, but it seems we did, so we apologise."

"Thank you," Kurt said quietly.

"See, we're all over it now," Wes said, earning him a glare from half the room "So we can get on to…"

"Of course I'm over it," Kurt said in the same quiet voice, surprising the Warblers as he talked back to Wes and looked up to meet the Council member's gaze with fierce determination "Of course. Why wouldn't I be? I mean, I was forced to relive memories I'd much rather not have to have, let alone remember. Thank you for that, by the way. Thank you for making me feel like absolute crap all over again. Really, I thought you high-class boys were supposed to have some sense of morality that the rest of those _apes _didn't."

"Hey," Wes protested, looking to David and Thad for support. But they weren't giving any, simply looking at him impassively.

"Moral and eloquent, I see," Kurt rolled his eyes. A couple of the Warblers had trouble covering up their sniggers and Wes glared at them before switching his focus back to Kurt.

"It was a _joke_, for crying out loud," he said.

Kurt fixed him with a stare that scared the hell out of Blaine, and the countertenor wasn't even looking at him. Blaine almost felt sorry for Wes. But really, he couldn't.

"I haven't heard that excuse before. Oh, I mean, I've heard the jocks say it back at McKinley when they tossed me in the dumpster or threw slushies in my face, but I'm sure it means something different here."

Expressions in the room switched from amused to confused or shocked. The only ones who weren't surprised were Blaine, Nick – and surprisingly, Trent. Boys glanced at him, knowing he was straight.

"Weight," he said softly.

Wes was silent as Kurt continued with ice coating his words, "It seems I'm not the only one for whom the 'joke' has meant much more than that. Maybe in your world that type of humiliation is funny, but in the _real_world, it hurts and it's called bullying, even if you don't think so. Getting that coffee thrown in my face was just a reminder of every single time the jocks would hurl a slushy in my face and laugh it off like it was nothing. And I really thought you guys were better than that."

Nick and Trent were looking decidedly upset, as if what Kurt was saying was hitting home. Jeff put an arm around his boyfriend with a worried expression.

"Nick?" he asked, not knowing what was wrong. Blaine squeezed the brunette's arm encouragingly as if to say 'I've been there too, and it's okay'. After a second Nick coughed as he composed himself.

"Kurt's right," he said quietly "You guys didn't know, but the bullying was really bad at my old school. It wasn't physical but all the time they would call me names and while it doesn't sound so bad, having to wake up every day to 'queer' and 'freak' and 'fag' kind of wears you down after a while. It got to the point where I was so afraid of people judging me and hurting me that I just didn't talk to anyone. When you guys locked me out of my room, I was getting better because I thought you had accepted me but…"

He stopped and Jeff comforted him, pain flashing across his face. It was obvious he hadn't known this beforehand. Then it was Trent's turn – and the boy was close to tears.

"I got bullied all the time for my weight. It was some kind of vicious circle because whenever I felt bad I'd eat, and then I'd get bigger and the bullying would get worse. Then, one time… we were on a camp and… I thought I was safe, but the guys, they… they took me out where they wouldn't get caught a-and they beat the crap out of me."

Cameron was looking particularly sick at this point – he was the one who had come up with Trent's Initiation idea of kidnapping him. Since then they'd become close friends and to learn that he had hurt his friend this badly made Cameron look away in guilt.

"They're not the only ones," Blaine added "I used to get that sort of crap all the time – and the excuses were always the same. 'It's just a joke, Blaine'. 'Get over it, Blaine'. 'Stop taking everything so seriously, Blaine'."

"So you see," Kurt said calmly, ready to deliver his final, crushing blow "It tends to be a good idea to think about what you're doing and what the consequences may be. And people aren't always going to tell you their story, so you have to be smart enough to realise for yourself that pretending to kidnap someone, or locking someone out of their room, or throwing coffee in their face probably isn't a brilliant idea. Some people can handle it," Everyone glanced at Thad "But some people can't and I would have hoped you were smart enough to be able to understand that."

"Now," Kurt stood up gracefully and gestured to the distressed and upset boys in the room "Nick? Trent? We're going to go back to my dorm and rant and cry and let it all out, because I _know_ that it helps, and then we're going to watch a comedy that I'm sure Blaine has lying around somewhere to prove we have a sense of humour and we _can _laugh."

The room was entirely silent as Nick and Trent accepted the invitation, standing and making their way to where Kurt was waiting by the door. Jeff and Cameron followed a second later, along with Blaine. And with no objection, they left.

"Shit," Wes mumbled under his breath.

"Happy now?" David sighed, glaring at his friend "You just made Trent cry. You made half the Warblers upset and possibly hate us."

"I did not…" but Wes trailed off, what Kurt and the others had just said obviously affecting him in some way. The remaining Warblers hoped it was enough to get him to apologise and stop the Initiations. They were funny at times but after hearing that, no one really wanted to watch someone go through one again.

"All you had to do was keep your big mouth _shut_."

* * *

><p>When Cameron and Trent didn't turn up for school the next morning, everyone was glaring at Wes.<p>

The others who had left with them the day before weren't saying anything except that Trent was especially upset at having the memory dredged up again. Now it was Kurt apologising for speaking out and making both Trent and Nick upset. But Nick assured him that it was fine – it was about time someone stood up to the Council and told them to stop the Initiations. No one had been brave enough to face up to the three seniors before and they were all glad that Kurt had had the courage to do so.

When the missing boys finally turned up in the afternoon, the Warblers rallied around Trent to reassure him that they were there for him and he was going to be okay. Few had had any idea of the severity of any of the boys' bullying and so were particularly helpful with promises to be on-call whenever they were needed.

Wes was left out of these group talks. He felt awful about what he'd done but he had no idea what to say or how to say it. He certainly hadn't meant to hurt anyone and it was all supposed to have been in fun. But everything had backfired on him and now he had a group of singers increasingly hostile towards him. How could he get them to listen to his apology?

When the idea came to him, he knew it was _perfect_.

* * *

><p>Wes was honestly surprised that all the Warblers turned up for rehearsal that afternoon. He hadn't been expecting half of them, let alone the entire group. Even Trent was there, Cameron still looking guilty but less so. Trent had forgiven him and now Cameron was determined to make it up to his friend. Nick had been fairly quiet that day as well but he was there when Blaine and Kurt finally made it to the Warblers' Hall and completed the group.<p>

Wes cleared his throat from the Council's desk and stood up, waiting until everyone was paying attention to him (which didn't take long as most were already shooting not-so-surreptitious glares his way) before speaking hesitantly.

"It looks like I've got something to say," he said, forcing himself to look at the entire group as he walked around to stand in front of his fellow Warblers "Dean?"

The boy jumped up and jammed an iPod into the dock at the back of the room, pressing play. The singers watched impassively as music flooded the room and Wes cautiously began to sing.

_Sometimes we wish for the better  
>When we have it good as it gets<br>Sometimes the grass isn't greener  
>Soon as we find out, we forget<br>Sometimes a fool doesn't know he's a fool  
>Sometimes a dog, he don't know he's a dog<br>Sometimes I do stupid things to you  
>When I really don't mean it at all<em>

He switched his gaze to the ground, knowing he was an awful person and he wouldn't be surprised if they all hated him. But he kept going, also knowing he needed to do this. He wasn't so good with words and people, but singing he could do.

_Sometimes a man is gon' be a man  
>It's not an excuse, it's just how it is<br>Sometimes the wrong, don't know that they wrong  
>Sometimes the strong, ain't always so strong<br>Sometimes a girl is gon' be a girl  
>She don't want to deal with all the drama in your world<br>God knows I don't mean to give it to you  
>So girl, I'm sorry for the stupid things<br>I wish I didn't do but I do_

_Ohh  
>Oh no<br>Ohh_

_Sometimes I wish I was smarter  
>Wish I was a bit more like you<br>Not making stupid decisions made at the last minute  
>You live to regret when it's through<br>Well sometimes a fool, doesn't know he's a fool  
>And sometimes a dog, he don't know he's a dog<br>But sometimes I do stupid things to you  
>When I really didn't mean it at all<em>

Wes risked a glance up to gauge the Warblers' reactions. Most were just watching him, nothing showing on their faces. Some seemed to be at least semi-interested in what he had to say. At least no one was glaring at him anymore. He didn't know what David or Thad thought about it and he was glad he had his back to them. They were some of his closest friends and he had let them down along with the rest of the group.

_Sometimes a man is gon' be a man  
>It's not an excuse, it's just how it is<br>Sometimes the wrong, don't know that they wrong  
>Sometimes the strong, can't always be strong<br>Sometimes a girl, is gon' be a girl  
>She don't want to deal with all the drama in your world<br>God knows I don't mean to give it to you  
>So girl, I'm sorry for the stupid things<br>I wish I didn't do but I do_

_Sometimes a fool doesn't know he's a fool  
>And sometimes a dog, he don't know he's a dog<br>But sometimes I do stupid things to you  
>When I really didn't mean it at all<br>At all_

_Sometimes a man is gon' be a man  
>It's not an excuse, it's just how it is<br>Sometimes the wrong, don't know that they wrong  
>Sometimes the strong, ain't always so strong<br>Sometimes a girl, is gon' be a girl  
>She don't want to deal with all the drama in your world<br>God knows I don't mean to give it to you girl  
>So girl I'm sorry for the stupid things<br>I wish I didn't do but I do_

Wes trailed off and continued to force himself to watch the Warblers and their reactions. No one said anything for a long while and Wes stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. But then someone stood up and walked over to him, wrapping him in a hug. The Council member stared in surprise as Kurt broke away and smiled at him.

"You're not as stupid as I thought."

Wes didn't have a response for that.

"Technically that's a song about a guy apologising for sleeping around," Blaine said with a smirk "But I think we get what you're trying to say."

"Are we okay?" he asked anxiously "I mean, are we going to be okay?"

David clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder from behind with a chuckle, making him jump.

"I think we will be."

* * *

><p><strong>The song is Sorry For The Stupid Things by Babyface. I had to search for ages to find a good apology song - all of them were about apologising to someone you'd cheated on. This was the best one I could find that was semi-ambiguous and actually msotly summed up what Wes was thinking - plus, I can imagine Wes singing this and it's <em>awesome<em>. **

**Hope you liked, KK!**

**Review?**


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